A Place to Call Home
by Shadow of the Forgotten
Summary: Alex hadn't seen the assassin in years, but Yassen was back now and he was determined to stay. Alex/Yassen.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Alex Rider or any other characters in the Alex Rider series.

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It was nearing midnight when Alex finally made it back to his apartment. He'd been called out to a local bar by Wolf to meet up with the K Unit and have a few beers, a little after seven that evening. Thankfully he'd had some dinner before the sudden call since they'd kept him out for over four hours, though he figured he'd better eat something once he was inside to help take the edge off all the alcohol running through his system. Covering a yawn behind his hand, Alex stumbled slightly as he climbed the three flights of stairs to his place.

Just after his eighteenth birthday he'd decided that it was time to move on, and after telling Blunt that he was no longer going to accept any of MI6's missions, he'd packed up his things, told Jack goodbye, and left to find a place he could call his own. In retrospect, it probably would've been smarter to find somewhere before leaving, but then Alex never really was the type of person to wait around for anything.

It took him a few days of sleeping on a park bench before he'd stumbled across the perfect place. It was a small rundown apartment building on the outskirts of town. Sure it didn't look like much, a three story brick building with a few broken windows and weeds poking out the side, but it was cozy and the other tenants kept to themselves so he didn't have to worry about nosy neighbors butting into his business. He'd had enough of that kind of thing during his years as a spy.

Alex pulled his keys out of his pocket, and after a few tries, managed to successfully open the door to his apartment. Resting his head against the door jam, he rubbed his eyes before reaching his hand around the corner to turn on the lights. As the room was lit up, he blinked several times to clear his vision and froze. Something wasn't right. Everything looked the same, but Alex had learned to trust his instincts years ago and right now they were telling him that danger was near.

Taking a deep breath, he held it for several seconds to clear his head, but the alcohol was still buzzing through him and making it extremely difficult to focus on the situation at hand. Finally, after a few moments, his eyes sharpened and his body prepared for a fight. Nudging the door open the rest of the way with his foot, he took a couple of steps inside and pressed himself against the wall next to the kitchen.

There were noises coming from the living room, it sounded like someone had the TV on, so he very carefully inched his way down the wall away from the kitchen and headed towards his room where his gun was hidden. He'd only made it a few feet when a voice called out to him.

"Welcome home Alex."

Alex froze, his foot several inches off the floor, and swore his heart stopped in shock. He hadn't heard that voice in over three years, but remembered it as clearly as if he'd heard it only an hour ago. "Yassen." He breathed out as his heart started to race. The last time he'd seen the blonde haired assassin they'd been on opposite sides of some mission in Iraq that had gone horribly wrong. The only reason he was still alive was thanks to Yassen Gregorovich. Alex had been stuck in a firefight with four terrorists and had just run out of ammo when out of nowhere the older man had come flying in with guns blazing. No words were spoken, but as Yassen put his gun away he'd stared at Alex for quite some time. His eyes appeared to be searching for something and about a minute or so later he'd nodded his head and disappeared, leaving Alex to stare after him dumfounded.

While Alex was reminiscing, Yassen rose from his seat on the couch and walked towards the kitchen. He saw the young man leaning up against the hall wall. Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the opposite wall and smiled. "It's good to see you again. It's been awhile."

There was silence for some time as Alex continued to stare at the assassin with wide eyes. Finally, his senses kicked in and his whole body tensed as he slipped into a fighting stance. "What do you want?" He asked. He'd meant it to come across threateningly, but his curiosity made it anything but.

Yassen looked the picture of relaxed leaning against the wall, and for a second Alex found it hard to believe that this man was a very dangerous killer. In fact, he actually looked quite handsome standing there in the half light with shadows dancing across his skin. Shaking his head, Alex berated himself for thinking that. He wasn't gay dammit, but there was just something about the man that always had him wondering what it would feel like to be held in his strong arms. What those hand would feel like on his skin, what he would taste like. A low chuckle snapped Alex out of his thoughts.

"See something you like?" Yassen asked with a grin as he pushed himself away from the wall. "Want a better look?"

Alex's eyes widened and he scrambled backwards down the hallway, trying to put some distance between himself and the smirking man sauntering towards him. He would've kept going, however, the closed door to his bedroom stopped him in his tracks and Alex gulped when Yassen's grin widened.

"And where do you think you're going?" Yassen questioned. "I came all the way here just to see you and you run away from me. If I didn't know any better I'd say you didn't like me very much."

"I'd like you better if you weren't coming at me with that look on your face." Alex muttered under his breath, his hand reaching behind his back to try and find the doorknob. His eyes drifted to the side as his hand slid along the door and he smiled in triumph when he found what he was searching for. Before he could turn the handle, two arms appeared next to him, one on each side of his head, and Alex gulped as he stared into Yassen's too close face.

Yassen watched as Alex's eyes widened even further and his breaths began to come out in quick pants. His eyes moved to the younger man's lips and lingered there for a few seconds before moving back up his face. "Why do you keep running away from me?" He asked softly, leaning in so he was almost touching Alex's forehead. "Are you really that scared of me?"

Seeing the look on Yassen's face, Alex calmed slightly. "No, I'm not afraid of you." He finally answered. And that was the truth. Sure the man had killed many people, but he'd never done anything to hurt Alex.

"Then why are you trying so hard to get away from me? Have I done something to upset you in any way?" This time Yassen did rest his forehead on Alex's when he spoke. "Just tell me what I did and I'll fix it."

Alex was unused to seeing Yassen as anything other than a killer so this unsure side of him was both scary and fascinating. Without thinking, he raised his hand and placed in on Yassen's arm in a comforting manner. "You didn't do anything…other than break into my apartment of course." He finished with a smile, hoping to lighten the mood.

Dropping his hands down to rest on Alex's hips, Yassen laughed. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

That made Alex pause and look at the older man curiously. "…missed me?"

Taking a deep breath, Yassen nodded his head. "Yes, I've missed you very much. Leaving you in Iraq was the hardest thing I've ever done, but I still had a few loose ends to tie up so I had to go. I'm back now though, and here to stay."

"Whoa, wait a minute here. What exactly are you talking about?" Alex asked, pulling as far away from Yassen as he could.

Yassen took another step forward and pressed himself flush against Alex. "What do you think I'm talking about?" He breathed into the younger man's ear.

Alex's breath caught in his throat as he felt the other man's body against his. This was definitely not how he'd imagined his night would go. First he gets drug out to a bar for several hours, and what does he find when he gets home, an assassin that apparently likes him quite a lot if the arousal pressing into his hip was any indication. "I r-really th-think we should take a step back and talk about things." He stuttered out, hoping the older man would give him some space so he could catch his breath and hopefully think a little clearer. There was a smaller part of him, however, one he was vehemently denying, that was thoroughly enjoying the close proximity. He could smell the soft musky scent of Yassen's skin and if he turned his head just slightly, he'd be able to kiss him.

"That's not what you really want now is it?" Yassen asked, his mouth dropping to Alex's neck. Without giving him a chance to answer, Yassen's tongue slipped out of his mouth and burned a trail from Alex's ear to just beneath his bobbing Adams apple. Smirking when he felt the breath leave Alex in a rush, Yassen slid his right hand further around Alex's back and slid the tips of his fingers under the tight jeans the younger man wore. When Alex's hands came up to grip his arms tightly, he smirked. "No, I didn't think so." With that he turned his head and pressed his mouth to Alex's in a harsh kiss.

Alex was fighting a losing battle and as soon as Yassen's lips met his, his resolve cracked. He'd wanted this for years, probably since the first time he met the older assassin if he were to be honest with himself, but he'd never planned on doing anything about it. He always assumed he'd grow out of his infatuation with the assassin, meet a nice girl one day, settle down, and have a small family of his own. Instead, here he was leaning against his bedroom door with Yassen's tongue forcing its way inside his mouth. When their tongues met, all thought process ceased and his arms moved up to link around Yassen's neck.

Yassen shifted enough so he could slide his left hand around to join his right, pulling the willing body even closer. Angling his head, he pulled back a little and slowed the kiss down to a gentle meshing of mouths. After waiting for so long, he wanted to savor this moment.

They pulled apart a minute later and Yassen slowly licked his lips as he waited for Alex to open his eyes. When his eyelids fluttered open, Yassen leaned in towards his ear. "How about we take this into the bedroom." He whispered, causing Alex to shudder as the warm breath ghosted over his ear. Moving his hands, he slid them further down Alex's pants and squeezed.

Alex didn't even think about it, he simply nodded his head and moved over so he could open the door behind him. Pushing the door open with his foot, he kept his arms around Yassen's neck and pulled him into the room with him. "Now, where were we?" He mumbled, crushing their lips together.

ooooo

Several hours later Yassen awoke to the distant sound of a gunshot. Relaxing when he realized that they weren't in any danger, Yassen tilted his head down to look at Alex who was still curled into his side. Moving a piece of hair away from the younger man's face, he ran a thumb over Alex's lips and smiled. This was what he had been searching for, a place to call home and someone to come home to. Turning onto his side, Yassen shifted so he was facing his sleeping partner.

The movement caused Alex to stir and he blinked his eyes open sleepily. Seeing Yassen's face a few inches from his own had Alex jumping up, all those years of combat training kicking in before he even had a chance to think. When Yassen simply raised an eyebrow, Alex laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, instinct." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his head and looking anywhere other than the person lying in his bed. Suddenly he realized he was naked and dived for a blanket that had fallen to the floor during their activities. Wrapping it around his waist, he chewed on his lip as his eyes darted about the room.

"Alex, come here." Yassen beckoned with a curl of his finger when Alex continued to stand where he was.

Alex paused and then slowly crawled back onto the bed. He made sure to keep the blanket covering his body and stayed just out of reach of the assassin. It wasn't that he didn't want to touch the man, he did, and that was the problem. They needed to talk and that wouldn't happen if touching was involved.

Shaking his head slightly, Yassen sat up and leaned back against the headboard. All he wanted was for them to curl back up together under the blankets and spend a few more hours getting acquainted with each other's bodies, but it appeared young Alex was going to be difficult this morning. Lacing his hands behind his head, he looked at Alex questioningly. "Well, are you going to continue staring at me like you want to eat me, or was there something you wanted to talk about?"

Alex's eyes flew back up to Yassen's face and he flushed at being caught staring at the older man's chest. "U-um yeah, talk, that's what I wanted to do." He said before pausing. When Yassen continued to stare at him, Alex took a breath and continued. "Last night…well, what I mean to say is…did you…um, how do I put this…"

Yassen chuckled at Alex's jumbled sentence and had the sudden desire to kiss him, but figured the younger man would probably get a little upset with him so he held himself back. As Alex continued to mutter to himself, Yassen pushed away from the headboard and took the other's hand. "If you're trying to figure out what this is, it's exactly what it looks like." He said, lacing their fingers together. "I wanted you, and you wanted me. We were simply acting on those feelings; it's nothing to be ashamed about."

"Who the hell said anything about being ashamed?" Alex demanded, his eyes narrowing as he ripped his hand from Yassen's grasp. "I only wanted to know if this was a onetime thing or if you truly planned on staying here…with me." His voice rose in anger as he continued. "But I suppose you've just answered the question for me." Pushing himself off the bed, he began to walk away when a hand grabbed his arm and pulled.

A firm tug on Alex's wrist had him sprawled out on the bed once more and Yassen quickly straddled the younger man to keep him from moving. Holding his hands above his head, Yassen grinned down at the struggling body beneath him. "There's the Alex I know and love."

"…love?" Alex froze and he blinked up at Yassen in confusion. "You love…"

"Yes Alex, I love you." Yassen said, kissing Alex on the forehead. "And have for quite some time now."

Alex thought about that for a moment. "Then what was that just now."

Yassen smirked. "I was only teasing you. You're cute when you get all angry. Besides, I thought I'd made myself quite clear last night and was a little annoyed that you even had to ask. I guess you could call that your punishment."

"So then you really want to stay here, with me?" Alex asked just to be sure.

Yassen rolled his eyes. "Yes Alex. Now shut up so we can continue with what we were doing last night." Yassen said as he leaned in for another kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Alex Rider or any other characters in the Alex Rider series.

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When Alex finally woke up around noon he had one hell of a hangover. Wincing at the sunlight that was filtering through his window, he threw an arm over his eyes and groaned. Never again would he agree to go out and drink with the gang, it wasn't worth the pain. He tried to piece together what he'd done the night before, but after heading home from the bar things got a little fuzzy. He remembered stumbling back to his apartment, then sensing something was wrong, but after that it was kind of a blur.

Shaking his head, only to regret it seconds later when the world began to spin around him, he eventually forced himself to a sitting position. The blanket that had been covering him in his sleep slipped low on his hips and Alex paused when he realized he was naked. Usually when he came home drunk he collapsed in his clothes and then woke up feeling gross and in need of a shower. Though now that he thought about it, he really did feel like he needed a shower, he felt all sticky and sweaty despite his lack of clothing.

His eyes widened as images of last night came flooding back to him. Yassen in his living room. Yassen pressing him against his door. Against his bed. "Oh god," he whispered in shock. "What the hell did I do?!" Jumping out of bed, he stumbled as pain laced through him. Apparently they'd gotten to know each other _very_ well last night. Cringing, he limped his way to the adjoining bathroom. He _really_ needed that shower.

By the time he was fully dressed, Alex had come to a decision. He couldn't remember everything that had happened, but he was certain he'd said no at some point . . . at least he thought he had. Not that it mattered, he was clearly drunk which meant that Yassen took advantage of him for some sick twisted little game of his. That thought hurt more than he cared to admit but he ignored the twist in his gut, instead channeling it into anger at the blonde man for what he'd done. It was one thing to try and kill him, but this, this was going too far.

The front door opening pulled him from his thoughts and he instinctively reached for the gun he'd tucked into the waistband of his pants. The weapon hadn't left his side since he'd woken up. Tiptoeing down the hallway, he gripped the gun tighter in his hand and took a calming breath before facing the intruder. It took several more breaths before he felt stable enough to turn the corner, breaths that left him quite suddenly when he came face to face with the man he'd decided he never wanted to see again. "What are you doing here?" he hissed angrily, the gun now aiming for the older man's heart.

"Oh, you're awake," Yassen said calmly, not sounding the least bit bothered by the fact that there was a gun pointing at him. "Sorry I left early, but I thought you might want something to eat so I went out to buy groceries. You really should keep your fridge better stocked; all you've got is eggs and butter, and whatever _this_ is." Tossing the plastic container that had something growing on it into the sink, he turned his back to Alex and began putting his supplies away.

Alex opened and closed his mouth several times before he was able to actually speak. "Get out," he growled. "First you assault me and then you expect me to what, welcome you with open arms?! Get the fuck out of my house before I do what I should've done years ago!"

That got Yassen's complete attention and he stopped what he was doing to turn a curious look on the younger man. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't pretend you didn't attack me!" Alex snapped. "Now I'm going to give you three seconds and then I'm going to pull the trigger!"

Glancing from the gun to Alex's face and back again, Yassen frowned. "I think you're misundersta-," he never got to finish his sentence because Alex had begun his countdown.

"1."

"Why don't you put that gun down so we can talk?"

"2."

"Alex, come on now. You don't need to do this."

When Alex's eyes narrowed and his finger inched closer to the trigger, Yassen shook his head and held his hands up in surrender. "Very well, you win. I'll leave," he said softly. "But just so you know, I wanted this to work. I was willing to do _anything_ to make it work." And with that he gave Alex one last wounded look and slowly walked out of the kitchen.

Alex didn't let the gun drop to his side until he heard the door close and his apartment became eerily silent. Letting it fall from his grasp, he barely registered the soft sound the weapon made as it landed on the carpet by his feet. "What did he mean by 'make it work'?" he asked out loud. "Make what work?"

Several days passed, during which the memories from that fateful night slowly became clearer. Four days after the assassin had vanished Alex slapped his forehead as he realized _exactly_ what the man had been referring to. He'd asked him to stay, to stay with him, and Yassen had agreed. No wonder the man had looked so hurt when he'd pulled the gun on him. Groaning at his stupidity, he really did care for the assassin though he was only just now realizing it, Alex decided to find the man and make it up to him . . . somehow.

So he'd locked up his apartment, called in far too many favors than he cared to admit, and went hunting. It was a lot harder than he'd anticipated, though he really shouldn't have expected an expert assassin like Yassen to be found so easily. It's not like he was listed in the phone book or something.

In the end he spent nearly all his money, and some he'd borrowed from Wolf, the price of which was him being the other man's cleaning slave for a week, wound up lost in some backwoods town in the middle of nowhere in a crappy car that was driving on nothing but fumes. Hitting the steering wheel as the car sputtered its final breath and then came to a slow stop; Alex once again regretted his spur of the moment decision. Obviously Yassen had no desire to be found; otherwise he would've stumbled upon him by now.

"Dammit," he muttered, dropping his head on his hands as he gripped the wheel tightly. "All that work, and for what?! To wind up dying on some abandoned highway in a car that looks ready to fall apart any second?!" Pushing himself back against the seat, he looked up at the peeling ceiling above him and screamed in frustration. "I hate you Yassen! You hear me?! I hate you!"

"That's not very nice, and after I came all this way out here to offer you a lift," a voice next to his head said with a touch of humor.

Whipping his head towards the open window, Alex's eyes fell open comically when he caught sight of the smirking man standing next to his car. "Yassen," he breathed before narrowing his eyes. "Where the hell have you been?! Do you know how long I've been searching for you?!"

"Six days," Yassen answered immediately.

He hadn't been expecting an answer so the response surprised him. "How do you know that?" he asked suspiciously. "Have you been . . . have you been spying on me this whole time?!" The look on the other man's face said everything and Alex barely refrained from punching the smirk off his face. "If you've known what I was doing, why didn't you just show yourself earlier? Why drag this out?"

There was a moment's pause before the assassin answered. "I wanted to make sure you were doing this because you wanted too, not because you felt obligated to. I figured anyone who was willing to go through this much trouble to find me must really want me," Yassen said finally with a small shrug of his shoulders.

Blinking, Alex wasn't sure whether he wanted laugh or cry so he settled for reaching through the window and punching him on the arm. "So what, you were _testing_ me?" he asked irritably.

Yassen grabbed the handle of the door and pulled it open. "In a way I suppose," he replied, squatting down so he was eye level with the younger man. "And I must say you passed with flying colors. After you waved that gun at me and threatened to shoot me if I didn't get away from you I was certain you'd never want to see me again, so when you started to look for me I went into hiding. Well, not so much hiding as keeping one step behind you at all times, but you get the idea. At first I thought you meant to follow through with your threat, but I quickly realized that was not your intention. From there all I had to do was wait for the perfect time to show myself, perhaps sometime when you were in trouble or something."

Narrowing his eyes, Alex took a hold of Yassen's shirt and pulled him so close their noses were almost touching. "Next time, don't hide from me." Without giving him a chance to respond, Alex pressed their lips together hungrily. He hadn't realized how much he missed the man until the thought that he'd never see him again had taken root in his mind. Now he didn't know if he could live without him.

Pulling away from the kiss, much to Alex's displeasure, Yassen reached over the top of him and clicked his seatbelt free so he could tug the smaller man out of the car. "I don't plan on there being a _next_ time," he said seriously as he pulled Alex into his arms. "Now that I have you I'm never letting you go again. I don't care what you threaten me with."

Giving the man another kiss, he smiled brightly. "Sounds good to me." Linking their hands together, Alex tugged him back towards the car he hadn't noticed pull up behind him when he'd been forced to a stop. "Let's go home." And this time, he truly meant it.


End file.
